Theodore R. Johnson, writing at The Atlantic:

In one spring afternoon, I’d retraced my family’s entire American journey. Beginning at Independence Avenue, I’d glimpsed our African past, moved through our history of slavery and segregation, and ended at the White House, where I fulfilled my great-grandparents’ American dream - the one encapsulated in the name they passed down to me. It was a dream that the offspring of slaves would one day enjoy the full benefits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Here I was, Theodore Roosevelt Johnson III — the family name emancipated at last.